January 2026 From the Desk of the District Attorney

January 2026 was Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month.  The month culminated in a breakfast and award ceremony by the FREE Coalition to End Human Trafficking in Northwest Louisiana, held at and sponsored by Margaritaville Casino and Hotels.   Former Governor John Bel Edwards and wife Donna were praised for their efforts to bring attention and state resources to this problem in our state, and current Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has continued the fight.    

The reported numbers are alarming.   According to the Louisiana Office of Human Trafficking Prevention, there were 127 human trafficking victims in Caddo Parish last year; East Baton Rouge Parish had 201 victims; and 227 were in Orleans Parish. These victims are amongst our most vulnerable, victimized, embarrassed and judged.  

In Caddo Parish, I want to take this time to praise our Caddo Parish Juvenile Court, and its STAR Program for human trafficking victim juveniles and youth deemed at-risk.  The juvenile court’s initial human trafficking unit was established in 2015 by now-retired Juvenile Judge Paul Young and then-director of Caddo Parish Juvenile Services Clay Walker and Laurie McGehee to assist teens trafficked for sex and connecting them to community services to treat their underlying trauma, such as sexual abuse.

Caddo Parish Chief Juvenile Judge Ree Casey-Jones expanded the program, partnering with my office and the public defender’s office to establish the Succeeding Through Achievement and Resilience (STAR) Court in March 2019, which is the only one of its kind in the state, and modeled after a program in Los Angeles County.  In this unique court the juvenile judge, and all attorneys, bailiffs, court personnel and two specialized probation officers are all female.  Approximately 13 young ladies are currently participating in the program, which meets monthly and does not end until these children are safe and on their way with high school diplomas in hand and on the road to a productive life.

For more information regarding the Caddo Parish Juvenile Court’s efforts to end human trafficking, or if you know of an at-risk youth, please call the court at (318) 226-6772 or The Harbor, our one-stop shop for youth in need of services at (318) 725-HBOR.

In court action in January, here are a few highlights of note:

Our Grand Jury returned 10 indictments against seven individuals in its session that concluded January 21.

Three indictments were for crimes involving slayings, while seven indictments issued under seal were for crimes of a sexual nature or involving minor victims. 

* Evantavious Deon Williams, 23, of Shreveport, was indicted on a charge of manslaughter in connection with the December 13, 2025 death of Trinity Myles. Ms. Myles, 19, was killed during an alleged domestic violence incident in the 200 block of West 69th Street. The charge was assigned docket No. 413806.

* Kamarion Dewayne Young, 17, of Bossier City, was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the September 23, 2025 death of Victor Samuels Jr. Mr. Samuels, also 17, was shot in the 8300 block of Harding Avenue. The charge was assigned docket No. 412108.

* Eric Wayne Sullivan Jr., 27, of Shreveport, was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the September 29, 2025 death of Gerald Washington. Mr. Washington, 55, was shot at the intersection of Egan Street and Gilbert Avenue. The charge was assigned docket No. 412194.

The remaining indictments were issued under seal, due to the nature of the crimes alleged against those indicted and the ages of victims involved. 

* Drayden Thomas, 19, of Shreveport, was indicted in a charge of first-degree rape.

* Daiquan Blackman, 24, of Natchitoches, was the subject of two separate indictments. One was for first-degree rape, indecent behavior with juveniles, contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, trafficking of children for sexual purposes and three counts of pornography involving juveniles. The second indictment was for illegal use of controlled dangerous substances in the presence of minors and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles.

* Malina Caldwell, 22, of Shreveport, also was the subject of two separate indictments. One was for principal to first-degree rape, indecent behavior with juveniles, contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, trafficking of children for sexual purposes and carnal knowledge of a juvenile. Her second indictment was for illegal use of controlled dangerous substances in the presence of minors and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles.

* Keyana Anderson, 22, of Bossier City, also was the subject of two separate indictments. One was for principal to first-degree rape, indecent behavior with juveniles, contributing to the delinquency of juveniles and carnal knowledge of a juvenile. Her second indictment was for illegal use of controlled dangerous substances in the presence of minors and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles.

In other court action in January:

* A Bossier City man on probation for domestic abuse battery with serious body injury was convicted January 13 of cocaine possession. 

Tresmone Devoue Kennedy, 35, was found responsively guilty of simple possession of a schedule II narcotic by the six-woman jury in District Judge Erin Leigh Waddell-Garrett's court after deliberations that took less than an hour. 

Through testimony from arresting officers, investigators and physical evidence, jurors learned that on March 31, 2023, Kennedy was stopped for a traffic violation in the 1600 Block of Centenary Boulevard and was found to be in possession of a digital scale, packaging materials and just over 5.2 grams of cocaine. He also admitted to possessing and ingesting cocaine, a Schedule II CDS.

When Kennedy returns for sentencing on March 19, 2026, he faces a prison term of from one to five years in prison with or without hard labor. 

He was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Briana C. Spivey, Erica Jefferson and Jasmine Cooper. He was defended by Lauren Anderson. 

The case was docket No. 394964.

* A Shreveport man whose criminal history prevents him from owning or possessing a weapon was found guilty January 13 of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The eight-woman, four-man jury in District Judge John D. Mosely Jr.'s court deliberated less than 30 minutes before returning its guilty-as-charged verdict against Trendell Reshon Wings, 36.

Jurors learned that on the evening of March 14, 2025, Shreveport Police patrol officers responded to a 911 call that a man in a wheelchair, wearing orange, pointed a gun and waved it at people. When officers arrived they found Wings in a wheelchair and asked him if he had any weapons, to which he said he did not. While police checked his name for criminal history, bystanders told officers they saw the man put a firearm in his waistband. The criminal history returned a conviction of aggravated criminal property damage, a felony that would preclude Wings from possessing a gun. Upon searching Wings, the officer found a Ruger handgun loaded with 17 rounds, with one in the chamber.

Wings' prior convictions preventing him from owning or possessing a firearm include aggravated criminal property damage, possession of a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance and an earlier unlawful weapons possession charge.

When Wings returns to Judge Mosely's court for sentencing on February 25, 2026, he faces at least five years and up to 20 years at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.

Wings was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Ross Owen and Tatiyana Brown-Harper. He served as his own defense counsel. 

The case was docket No. 407565.

* A Shreveport man with a history of sex offenses was convicted January 13 for failure to register as a sex offender.

An 11-woman, one-man jury in District Judge Chris Victory's court deliberated about 90 minutes before returning its guilty-as-charged verdict against Robert Emmett Huen, 74, on a charge of failure to register as a sex offender, second or subsequent offense.     

Originally convicted of simple rape on October 10, 1989, he is a tier 3 sex offender required by law to check-in in-person with the sheriff’s office in his parish of residence every 14 days. His last 14-day check-in was on January 10, 2024. His last quarterly check-in was on November 7, 2023. This is the second time Huen has failed to properly register as a sex offender, having previously been convicted of failure to register as a sex offender on February 23, 2023.

When Huen returns to Judge Victory's court February 24, 2026, he faces a sentence of from five to 20 years in prison at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence and a fine of $3,000.

Huen was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Sean Fore and Courtney N. Ray. He was defended by Michael Enright and Katie Miller.

The case was docket No. 404466.

* A Waskom, Texas man about to go on trial for a 2023 traffic collision that led to another man's death pleaded guilty January 12, to vehicular homicide.    

On July 18, 2023, Rodney Dan Lemay, 60, was driving home from work in the 6900 block of Woolworth Road when he swerved over the center line and struck head-on an oncoming vehicle driven by Jeffrey Merritt. Mr. Merritt, 60, had to be extracted from his vehicle. He was later pronounced deceased at a local hospital. Due to the serious injuries involved, routine toxicology samples were taken from Lemay, who was determined to have methamphetamine in his system.

District Judge Chris Victory sentenced Lemay to serve 10 years at hard labor, with three years of the sentence to be served without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. Lemay also was ordered to pay a fine of $2,000.

Lemay was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Courtney N. Ray. He was defended by Michael Enright.

The case was docket No. 399951.

* A man charged in connection with a mass shooting that occurred in March 2023 in downtown Shreveport, leaving one man dead and wounding six other people, pleaded guilty to manslaughter January 7.

Zyun Jabius Thomas, 20, was sentenced by District Judge Chris Victory to serve 30 years at hard labor for the March 25, 2023 shooting at Texas and Market streets that killed Jacorvin Taylor, 32.

Thomas's codefendant, Devin Porter, was convicted October 25, 2024, of second-degree murder, six counts of attempted second-degree murder and aggravated flight from an officer. He now is serving a life prison term. It was forensically determined that Mr. Porter fired the shot that killed Mr. Taylor. 

Mr. Taylor's family agreed to the manslaughter pleading and the 30-year sentence imposed on Zyun Thomas. Thomas had been billed with six counts of attempted murder since he had not previously been indicted for those counts. As part of the plea, those charges were dismissed.

Mr. Thomas was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney William J. Edwards. He was defended by Rickey Swift.

The case was docket No. 395988.

At your service,

James E. Stewart Sr.

Caddo Parish District Attorney